Outcomes of posterior component separation with transversus abdominis release for repair of abdominally based breast reconstruction donor site hernias.

PURPOSE: Abdominally based autologous breast reconstruction (ABABR) is common after mastectomy, but carries a risk of complex abdominal wall hernias. We report experience with posterior component separation (PCS) and transversus abdominis release (TAR) with permanent synthetic mesh repair of ABABR-related hernias.

METHODS: Patients at Cleveland Clinic Foundation and Penn State Health were identified retrospectively. Outcomes included postoperative complications, hernia recurrence, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs): Hernia Recurrence Inventory, HerQLes Summary Score, Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pain Intensity 3a Survey, and the Decision Regret Scale (DRS).

RESULTS: Forty patients underwent PCS/TAR repair of hernias resulting from pedicled (35%), free (5%), muscle-sparing TRAMs (15%), and DIEPs (28%) from August 2014 to March 2021. Following PCS, 30-day complications included superficial surgical site infection (13%), seroma (8%), and superficial wound breakdown (5%). Five patients (20%) developed clinical hernia recurrence. At a minimum of 1 year, 17 (63%) reported a bulge, 12 (44%) reported pain, median HerQLes Quality Of Life Scores improved from 33 to 63/100 (p value < 0.01), PROMIS 3a Pain Intensity Scores improved from 52 to 38 (p value < 0.05), and DRS scores were consistent with low regret (20/100).

CONCLUSION: ABABR-related hernias are complex and technically challenging due to missing abdominal wall components and denervation injury. After repair with PCS/TAR, patients had high rates of recurrence and bulge, but reported improved quality of life and pain and low regret. Surgeons should set realistic expectations regarding postoperative bulge and risk of hernia recurrence.